7 Amazing True Stories That Deserve To Be Made Into Films

5. Gef, Or The Haunting Of Cashen's Gap

Gef (pronounced like 'Jeff') was an alleged talking mongoose(!) which was thought to haunt a farmhouse on the Isle of Man (located between Great Britain and Ireland) in the 1930s. The family who owned the farm, the Irvings, claimed that the mongoose would speak to them in a distinguished English accent and pronounced itself as a ghost in the form of a mongoose. Although commonly denounced as a creation of the youngest Irving, Voirrey, several other visitors to the farm and town locals claimed to have seen (if not heard) the creature. The Irvings would leave biscuits and fruit for the creature, dangling in a plate which was attached to the ceiling; apparently, the illogical creature would eat the sustenance when no one was looking (convenient). It was known to have helped out around the house, putting the fire out late at night if the family forgot, chasing off strange dogs from the property, and scaring away mice that got into the house. Gef continued to "haunt" the Irvings until they sold the property in 1945; he would even accompany them to the shops, hid behind hedgerows, nattering away, boasting about being an "extra extra clever mongoose". How To Make It It's an extremely strange little story, but could most definitely be adapted into a whimsical family comedy of sorts - a bit like, erm, FairyTale: A True Story. The tale has a lot of bizarre elements to it that could make for an endearing little film, hinged on the investigation into the creature's veracity by paranormal investigator Harry Price and journalist Rex Lambert (two cinematic names if ever there were). The relationship between 13-year-old Voirrey and Gef could easily be the heart of the film, as she bonds with the strange creature who claims to be the ghost of a New Delhi man born in 1852. Sure. Heck, it could even be a Pixar animation. Or, you know, a really weird horror film where nothing scary actually happens.